Inside ‘Sinners: Sounds That Summon,’ the exhibit that lets you step into Smoke & Stack’s Club Juke

Curator Imani Y. Haynes invites visitors to feel Ryan Coogler’s unforgettable juke joint scene again with the “Sinners: Sounds That Summon” exhibit.

When curator Imani Y. Haynes first walked into the “Sinners: Sounds That Summon” exhibit at the California African American Museum, she boohoo cried. Not just because she was seeing months of work come alive, but because she, like many in the Black community, understood the inexplicable spiritual energy that lives within Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and, more specifically, that scene in the Juke Joint. 

This week, the California African American Museum (CAAM) debuted its latest exhibit produced in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures, Ryan Coogler and Proximity Media, honoring the beloved Juke Joint sequence in the Academy Award-winning film “Sinners.” And to bring the project to life, CAAM executive director Cameron Shaw tapped Haynes to lead the exhibit’s curatorial direction. 

“I love to be a steward of our stories and experiences,” Haynes told theGrio. “I remember seeing that scene for the first time, and I felt it in my bones…my muscles… That humming that Miles Caton does in the beginning, it feels like a spiritual moment.” 

And just as the scene spotlights some of the many layers of Black culture, Haynes was intentional about creating a multi-dimensional, sensory experience that transcends the typical museum visit. 

“It is all the objects that were in this fictional world, but telling this very real story…I want people to feel what they feel when they walk into that moment. I want them to feel enveloped in it and just be at home. You’re in Club Juke,” she shared. “[In the movie] inside of Club Juke, they were amongst community. There was freedom. There was joy.”

Visitors to the exhibit are guided through three major themes: Music Makes Sound, Music Makes Movement, and Music Makes Worlds. With each theme exploring the various instruments, dances, and cultural iconography they create, Haynes was intentional about creating a space that felt familiar. 

“The intimacy that sensory experience is what I want people to pick up on, because when I was developing the exhibit, [I knew] this wasn’t about to be some masterclass on Black music and Black music history…I didn’t want to feel like I was talking to Black people about Blackness, like as if I was an outsider,” she explained. “I didn’t want the story to feel like I was giving a dissertation on ‘Sinners: Sounds That Summon.’ I wanted it to feel familiar.” 

That intention shines through in little details in the exhibit, like the small size of the exhibition room, the wood framing at the entryway, the rusted corrugated metal seen through, the musical sequence playing on repeat in the background, the language used to describe each element of the exhibit, and more. Beyond showcasing the costumes and set design elements from the movie, the exhibit includes interactive elements like a tablet that lets viewers zoom in on the items on display and see when they appeared in the film. 

Leaning into the power of music, Haynes intentionally crafted the “Sounds That Carry Us” interactive, which invites visitors to share a sound, song, or genre that brings them out of those dark places and back to joy, and to share who or what it reminds them of. Inspired by a moment Coogler shared with his late Uncle James, Haynes says the activity invites visitors to see the comfort and emotion music can evoke in and outside of the film. 

“In the song ‘I Lied to You,’ Sammie is saying, ‘Somebody take me in your arms tonight,’ and I wanted to use this moment to respond to his call,” the exhibit curator shared. “It’s the music taking us into their arms; that’s our ancestors, that’s home, taking us in. I wanted visitors to have that same moment that Ryan Coogler had with his ancestor about  their shared love of music, and how that brought both of them joy and comfort.”

As Haynes reflects on the exhibit, there is a reverence in her voice. However, it goes beyond a love for the film, Coogler’s creativity, and the many entities who made this possible. It feels almost spiritual. Part of the magic of “Sinners” was Coogler’s ability to create a story that people, regardless of their background, could see themselves in, take something away from, and reflect on. For Haynes, who made the bold yet scary decision to leave the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, the largest African American museum in Maryland, and pursue entrepreneurship as an independent curator,  she saw pieces of herself in Sammie. 

“He had to forge his way on his own in order to find his voice, and that is what this journey has been,” Haynes shared. “I navigated the first few months wondering if I made the biggest mistake of my life. This moment has shown me who I am without the training wheels.” 

So, the tears that flowed down her face during her first walk-through of the final exhibit reflected a culmination of relief, pride, gratitude, and affirmation. 

“I knew this movie meant so much to so many people that I didn’t want to do it a disservice, and I definitely didn’t want to do Ryan Coogler’s brilliance a disservice either,” she concluded. “I’m just humbled and honored to be a part of it.”

Visitors can step into Club Juke through the California African American Museum’s  “Sinners: Sounds That Summon” exhibit now through March 14, 2027.